Dakota Goyo is taking one big step forward. Following a moderately-sized role in last year’s Real Steel, Variety tells us the child actor’s headed out to Iceland for Darren Aronofsky‘s crazy Biblical epic, Noah, having secured a role as the younger version of Russell Crowe‘s ark-builder.

Interesting since, amongst the high load of information to come in, we’ve never had any indication there would be flashbacks to Noah’s childhood. However, with Anthony Hopkinsplaying his father, Methuselah, we should expect there to be some character-building interplay between the 900-year-old man and his most famous offspring. (Funny, too, since Goyo played the son of another mythical, Hopkins-portrayed character in Thor; he was the younger God of Thunder.)

The fantasy material isn’t dissipating just yet, as a press release (via ComingSoon) reports that Jared Harris (Mad Men), Lena Headey (Dredd, Game of Thrones), and newcomer Godfrey Gao are all contracted for Mortal Instruments, which has since been subtitled City of Bones. In order, the three will play Hodge Starkweather, Jocelyn Fray, and Magnus Bane.

Harris‘ character is an antagonistic veteran who betrays the main characters in favor of personal gain, while Heady is mother to the Lily Collins-played hero, Clary Fray. Bane‘s part is that of Magnus, who’s been assigned by Jocelyn to wipe Clary’s memory of anything supernatural; most importantly, he “loves to throw parties for both Downworlders and Shadowhunters alike.”

Harald Zwart is directing the film, which is based on Cassandra Clare‘s young adult series of the same name. Both center on Clary Fray (Lily Collins), the newest member of a group called Shadowhunters — that is, “half-angel warriors” who secretly protect the world from demons. When her mother disappears, she and other Shadowhunters go to battle in the secret side of New York, Downworld, a place “filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures.”

Jamie Campbell Bower, Jemima West, Kevin Durnand, and Robert Maillet also star in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, which will open on August 23rd, 2013.

Are you intrigued by this revelation concerning Noah? Is Mortal Instruments improving with each passing addition?